WR Victor Cruz
August 12, 2015
Q: Did you lobby to go out there today?
No, coach had it in the plan for me to get a couple plays in at least while I was here, kind of two plays per period, and then cut me off around 7-on-7. It felt good, I was out there running around a little bit, everything felt kind of similar to what I had hoped, and I felt good in and out of breaks, getting open, and things like that. There was one communication error between Eli (Manning) and I but no biggie.
Q: How much trust do you have in the knee right now?
I have a lot of trust. Like I said, there’s no pain, nothing hurts, it’s just a matter of continuing to run routes, continue to get the familiarity back from what I remember, and things like that and keeping it going.
Q: Do you feel like you got over another mental hurdle?
Yeah, absolutely, coming out here, I kind of understood what we were doing. I knew we were going to take it easy in terms of what I was going to be doing individually, but I wanted to get a little bit against them. Get a little bit of a challenge, get a little bit of some head-to-head things against them, and I did that today and I felt good. It’s tough to get into a rhythm when you only have two plays per period, it’s hard to get warmed up for every period, but we made it happen.
Q: What was going on in your head on that first play back out there?
I just wanted to play, man. I was just kind of looking at the defense, it kind of just felt like the normal everyday thing, just another team in front of you. Nothing felt different it’s just a matter of going out there and continuing to do.
Q: Is there a plan of when you’ll get into a preseason game?
I don’t know. That’s all up to the training staff.
Q: Would you like to get in one or two games?
I’d love at least one game, a couple snaps, whatever they feel is right. I want to get little bit of work and get tackled a few times, and see how it feels and stuff like that, but that’s about it.
Q: Would one good run be enough for you?
I think so. I believe so.
Q: Is the only hurdle left playing in a game?
I think that’s pretty much it, game speed, game activity, getting tackled, getting up and getting back to the huddle for the next play and things like that. Getting into a rhythm I think that’s next.
Q: Did you think there would be any extracurricular stuff during these two days?
No. I know what type of character guys we have on our team and the Bengals run a great organization under Marvin Lewis, great team. We understood the character we have on both teams. We came into it understanding that we were going to play this game with respect and dignity. We were going to come out here and show them what the New York Giants football is all about and they did the same. They were great and nothing got chippie. It was competitive but nothing chippie.
Q: Did you hope that the ball was going to come your way in that one-on-one against (Darqueze) Dennard?
Yeah, it felt good man, especially since it was after the communication error I had with Eli, so I was kind of chomping at the bit to get another chance in there. I knew I had that route coming up so I wanted to make it my best one. It was a good route and I wish he didn’t get rushed out so he had to go the other way, but I was happy with the route, and I was happy I came out unscathed.
Q: Were surprised about the Geno Smith situation?
It’s a little surprising. Obviously being in a locker room you never expect something like that would happen but nothing surprises me in this day in age. It’s unfortunate for Geno, it’s unfortunate for the Jets staff and organization, but it’s something you never want to see happen. It’s something you never want to see go down in the locker room on any team let alone the in-state rivals. Hopefully he gets to recover healthy and quickly so he can get back out there and help his team.
